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The concentration of atomic oxygen in the mesosphere and thermosphere
Planer. S,mce Sci., Vol. 36, No. 9, p. 892, 1988 Pergamon Press pk. Printed m Great Britam
THE CONCENTRATION MESOSPHERE
OF ATOMIC OXYGEN AND THERMOSPHERE
EDWARD
Institute
of Space and Atmospheric
IN THE
J. LLEWELLYN
Studies, University
of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon,
SK S7N OWO, Canada
The determination of atomic oxygen concentrations in the mesosphere and thermosphere has long been of interest : a knowledge of these concentrations has important implications for many processes in the terrestrial atmosphere, e.g. vertical transport and aurora1 excitation mechanisms. In recent years there has been an intense on-going debate as to whether the concentration in the vicinity of the atomic oxygen peak, near 100 km, is low (1 x IO” cm-‘) or high (1 x IO” cm-‘). Since different investigators have advanced various views there has been extreme confusion among many researchers. In an attempt to explain, and understand, the reasons for the apparently wide range in assumed atomic oxygen concentrations a special session was included in the San Francisco Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. A number of these papers are collected together in this issue of Planetary and Space Science. While these papers do not answer the question of high or low concentrations they do provide a convenient focus for much of the available data and interpretation.
892
THE CONCENTRATION MESOSPHERE
OF ATOMIC OXYGEN AND THERMOSPHERE
EDWARD
Institute
of Space and Atmospheric
IN THE
J. LLEWELLYN
Studies, University
of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon,
SK S7N OWO, Canada
The determination of atomic oxygen concentrations in the mesosphere and thermosphere has long been of interest : a knowledge of these concentrations has important implications for many processes in the terrestrial atmosphere, e.g. vertical transport and aurora1 excitation mechanisms. In recent years there has been an intense on-going debate as to whether the concentration in the vicinity of the atomic oxygen peak, near 100 km, is low (1 x IO” cm-‘) or high (1 x IO” cm-‘). Since different investigators have advanced various views there has been extreme confusion among many researchers. In an attempt to explain, and understand, the reasons for the apparently wide range in assumed atomic oxygen concentrations a special session was included in the San Francisco Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. A number of these papers are collected together in this issue of Planetary and Space Science. While these papers do not answer the question of high or low concentrations they do provide a convenient focus for much of the available data and interpretation.
892